Just 35 kilometres east of Melbourne lies the Dandenong Ranges. It’s a favourite getaway destination for Melburnians, and a Dandenong Ranges day tour is a wonderful way for visitors to take in this special spot. Known locally as simply ‘The Dandenongs,’ the area features lush rainforests, waterfalls, quaint townships, stunning gardens, gorgeous eateries and a fantastic little steam train journey!
A Dandenong Ranges tour typically occurs in charming villages with charming names, such as Sassafras, Olinda, Emerald, and Upper Ferntree Gully. Belgrave is the town where visitors head to board the historic Puffing Billy Steam Train for a memorable journey. You can take in some magnificent views across Melbourne from the Dandenongs while breathing in the cool, clean air.
There is so much beauty in the Dandenongs, it’s hard to take it all in. As if the natural beauty wasn’t enough, the cosy towns add charm to any day trip to the Dandenong Ranges. The village of Sassafras is as cute as they come. Stroll along the 19th-century-style streets, through the prettiest English gardens, browse the antiques shops and galleries or enjoy a Devonshire tea under the fern trees.
Sherbrooke Forest’s trails pass through lush fern gullies, past waterfalls and towering Mountain Ash. For those who love their gardens, visit the beautiful Alfred Nicholas Gardens or the George Tindale Memorial Gardens - both truly magical. So, too, are the gardens at Olinda, one of the highest villages in the Dandenong Ranges.
Olinda is also where you’ll find the spectacular Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden, formerly the National Rhododendron Garden. The gardens feature more than 300,000 vibrant blooms of rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, cherries and daffodils.
One of the exciting adventures in the Dandenongs is aboard the Puffing Billy Steam Train. You can travel old-school and dangle your legs out the windows of the open-sided carriages or keep your limbs inside and enjoy the comforts of first class!
Puffing Billy brings a touch of nostalgia as passengers travel the line that has been operating since 1900, moving everything from timber and livestock to potatoes and plants and passengers! Today, it’s proudly supported by over 300 volunteers who keep this little steam train operating every day except Christmas.
The train chugs along the original mountain track, 25 kilometres from Belgrave to Emerald Lake and onto Gembrook. The serene yet exhilarating journey traverses hills, crosses the historic Monbulk Creek Trestle Bridge and heads down the valley and into the forest. Along the way, the scenery changes from Mountain Ash trees, dense fern gullies, quaint forest villages and wide-open fields.
The Dandenong Ranges, known locally as just ‘The Dandenongs’, are low mountain ranges approximately 35 kilometres east of Victoria’s capital Melbourne.
Dandenong Ranges are the traditional country of the Wurundjeri People. Mount Dandenong was originally known as Corhanwarrabul. It was where the Bunurong people from Western Port and the Woiworung people from the Kulin nation came to hunt in the summer. The name Dandenong is thought to come from the Aboriginal word Tanjenong, meaning 'high mountain.'
Visitors can take a Dandenong Ranges day trip from Melbourne to meet some adorable locals, such as kangaroos, wombats, swamp wallabies, deer, lyrebirds, possums, platypus and the powerful owl.
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